438 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[December r, 1883. 



The Goveinment are making early and active ex- 

 ertions to carrj' out the construction of the railway 

 works recently authorized in the Northern Territory. 

 — South Aw^tralian Register. 



PLANTING PROSPECTS IN NEW GUINEA. 

 The Argu^ special correspondent, Captain Arinit, 

 in his latest letter, dated Wabadam, July 27th, has 

 the following : — Entered the village of Wabadam, of 

 which Boiori is the chief. Time, half -past 12 a. m.; 

 I,5o0 feet above sea-level. The rain stopped about 4, 

 and gave us a chance to shoot and collect fungi, ferns, 

 and plants. I inspected the gardens, and was astonished 

 at the luxuriance of the crops. Cane 16 feet high, Bour- 

 bon ribbon, and I believe Scott's caneorOtalieite, a small 

 yellow sort ; bananas in full bearing the large bunches 

 tied up in leaves; bread-fruit trees (Artocarpus in- 

 cisa) 50 feet high, and plantations of small trees of 

 all sizes ; taro, wbappa, a very large leaved species 

 of arum, yams, sweet potatoes, tobacco, pumpkin — 

 all were growing here in profusion. The tillage also 

 is superior to anything of the kind I have yet seen 

 in the island. The weeds are kept down, and the 

 soil well and deeply worked. In clearing the laud 

 the graceful palms have been spared, and add an 

 element of beauty to the scene as they raise theu' 

 gi-acef 111 fronds 70 feet to 100 feet above the plantations. 

 The country to the south of Wabadam is open forest 

 with isolated hills and ridges stre\ni over its sur- 

 face. The natives do not culti\ate these ilats. The 

 soil is too hard, and would require heavy labour 

 before it could be utilized. The scrub soil, on the 

 contrary, is always moist and loose. It is easily 

 worked after the scrub has beeu cleared, and remains 

 light and friable. The people of this country have 

 no conception of the capabilities of the soil. They 

 grow more than they want, and this suffices. Were 

 these lands in the hands of European planters we 

 should so m be astonished at their productiveness. 

 Sugar, cofi'ee, arrowroot, cinchona, cocoa, ginger, 

 vanilla, rice (mountain), and a host of fruit trees could 

 be admirably grown here. Ceylon has beeu almost 

 ruined by the coffee leaf-disease (hemilia vastatrix), 

 and many planters have beeu inquiring in Queensland 

 for laud suitable for coffee growing. Here they will 

 lind not only land of the best quality, but also labour 

 at their very doors. If these people are kindly and 

 honestly treated they will work, and work willingly 

 and well for tlie Britaniata, as they call us. But 

 England must take the utmost care that, in purchas- 

 ing the land, the present proprietors receive a fair- 

 value for it. If, after a few years, they find out 

 that they have beeu swindled, there will be serious 

 trouble. They will soon obtain firearms and learn iiow 

 to use them. Then they will not prove contemptible 

 foes, especially as. they have quite sense enough to 

 join together and make common cause. I do not 

 desire to dishearten intending settlers, but e7eryone 

 sliould know what the people are like, and that iu 

 coming to New Guinea they will find an agricultural 

 race, ownmg the soil and perfectly aware that they do 

 own it — not a race of unfortunates like the Austral- 

 ians, who, after having been rolib d of their land, 

 were h ft to perish of starvatiou or ruthlessly shot down 

 for daring to hunt over their own soil. The country to 

 the north of Wabadam is all riflgy, scrub country, rising 

 gradually into Mount Lawes, totiieN. W., and extend- 

 ing to the flanks of Jlount O'Bree, 20 miles distaut E. 

 K. E. — every inch of it magnificent laud. At a distance 

 of three-quarters of a mie, and bearing N. by E. J K, 

 stands the village of Ottowano, 25 inhabitants. The 

 people of both villages Ijelong to the Tabouri and Sogcie 

 tribes, wdio live together on the territory of tlie former. 

 This is a good omen for the future settlement of the 



island. A few years ago these two tribes were deadly 

 enemies. 



I saw no breccia today, the rock being all trap. 

 Palms are ^■el■y numerous and graceful. Bread-fruit 

 and okari trees abound everywhere. Fungi especially 

 are to be found in the native gardens on the fallen 

 and decaying timber. The edible fungus I found iu 

 company with Professor Denton, as well as a host 

 of other most interesting forms. The former is eaten 

 in New Zealand and also in China, to which country 

 it is exported. It beloujjs to the genus lleodictyon. 

 Altogether, I do not repent staying here this after- 

 noon, as besides fungi I obtained several fine crotous 

 all growing in the x'lllige. 



I shot the smallest parrot today that I have ever 

 seen. It was not more than two inches-and-a-half 

 in lengoh, of a beautiful g.eea, txcepting the upper 

 tail, coverts, and lower portion of back, which were 

 of bright scarlet. Belford teUs me there is yet a 

 smaller one m this country, and common. flasp- 

 berries are common here, but very iusipd. Mr. Denton 

 found a strawberry in tlie scrub, and— ate it ! He 

 also picked up an acorn. It is \-ery much larger than 

 our English acorn, and not so long. Wild pigs are 

 very fond of them, and the ground under the trees 

 IS rooted up in every dh-ection. 



Cycads are very abuudaut throughout the country 

 I have seen. The I'apuans macerate the nuts m 

 running water for three days— using a net bag for 

 the purpjse— and then pouud them up into a sort of 

 damper or cake, which tlicy ba'ie iu a stone oven. 

 This bread is very good and cleau, very differeut froni 

 the disgusting coinpouud made by the natives of 

 Northern Queensland. Belford sowed a few Chili seeds 

 here iu the hope of obtaining a few ripe fruit some 

 day. I notice that the native names for the difl'ereut 

 bii-ds resemble tlie bird's call as nearly as possible. 

 They will imitate this so cleverly that even the bird 

 is deceived, and can often be brought close up to 

 the gmi. 



INDIAN GOLD MINING, AND ITS PROSPECTS.;* 

 QUAETZ OUTCKOPS OP TBAVANCORE. 

 (Continued from pac/e 44.) 

 In order to trace more completely the comparison 

 between the lithology of the auriferous zone of the 

 W''ynaad and those districts of Travancore which I 

 visited, I sh.iU once more direct attention to what I 

 have quoted from the commissioners' report of 1832 

 (Art. 11., M. J., p. 518) — "that the euperstructure 

 consist of sand and gravel, below which are large 

 nodules of quartz aud gneiss." Now, in many parts 

 of Travancore, where the eoft gneissio rock occurs, 

 there areb-dsof quartz sometimes 2ft., .Sft, , or even 

 6ft. in thicknens, having interspersed throughout their 

 mass here and there crystals of felspar, iu a state of 

 decomposition. Further, these beds having been for a 

 considerable period of time exposed to atmospheric 

 influences, as well as toler.ated aqueous solutions, have 

 had the more e;isily decouiposaljle portions of their 

 walls — which consisted principally of felspathio and 

 ferruginous compounds — washed away by the perio- 

 dical monsoon rains, lexviug crevices which have after- 

 wards become filled up by the earthy materials re- 

 sulting from the deeompofitiou of the gneissic rook 

 in which they are embedded. Such beds occur on 

 Ballxniore, Kildonan, and Ballocljbuie istatos. One 

 of the Biilocbbuie beds I caused to be opened to a 

 depth of from 4 to 5 feet, and had some of what 

 appeared to be the purest aud most cnnpact partot 



* By .1. Maodonalii Camerou, Fel. Inst, Chora., P. C. B, &<:. 

 tao Assistant Chemical Ijabjratorioa, Koyal School of M.nes. 



